Wait...this is AFRICA

Being a college student I can run on pretty little sleep. I may see 4:30am a time or two but rarely is it because I am getting up that early! Saturday I was up bright and early…but not very perky to say the least! I was really excited to go on our safari! I guess when I think of a safari I pictured hot, amazing animals, and a good time. Well for our safari we hit 2 of the 3…it was SOOOO cold! We had roughly a 3 hour bus ride to the Inverdoorn Game Reserve which was northwest of Cape Town which is a very arid area. I was lucky enough to remember to grab a blanket on the way out the door and really it was quite the life saver! It was cold to say the least on the bus but the amazing mountains and surrounds were enough to keep my mind off the cold. Once we finally got to the reserve it was cloudy and foggy and quite cold. A bonfire was started and we all huddled around…yup we’re from Minnesota and can handle the cold…but really…Africa and cold should NOT be in the same sentence together! By the time we were ready to leave for the safari the sun was out and it was starting to warm up. All in all we saw lions, cheetahs, white rhinos, giraffes, water buffalo, kudo, black wildebeest, and the animal of South Africa, the springbuck! It was amazing! At one point we were able to get out of the truck and walk with giraffes….AMAZING! I feel like this would not have been the same without Grant our guide and all of these bushes with thorns that we had to dodge because they looked like they would tear you apart!

On our way back to camp there were two male giraffes that were fighting! It was really weird to see because they would touch butts and swing their heads at each other and try and strike. Grant said this could go on for hours! I took a video of it and will try and upload it if its possible!

All in all it was completely amazing…the animals, the scenery, the experience…simple enough! Once we got back a few of us decided to go quad biking…yup 4-wheeling in South Africa! Nate, Erin, Aaron and I sprung the 240 rand, about $30 to go for a ride with Grant! It was amazing! On the way back we had to go through some water and of course I hit the water and what happens…my quad dies! We were almost back to the camp but that would happen to me! I ended up having to get a ride back with another one of the rangers but it was all worth it!

Once we got back to our house we were in a rush to get ready because we were going out to dinner at an African Restaurant called Marco’s. I was pretty excited because frankly the food and I have really just not been too close. I have officially given up on hamburger here because that is NEVER what it is! I was going to put myself out there at Marco’s and I feel like I really accomplished that! Maryam and I decided to share food and I’m so glad I did! Otherwise I don’t think I would have fallen in love with calamari! It was amazing! I also had some sheep stomach and some ostrich! Sheep stomach….not a fan…and ostrich had a strong resemblance to steak so that was pretty good! Also, 6 of us ordered the specialty beer which was a beer brewed in Gugulethu, the township we are staying in this coming week! We did not know that it comes in one big round tub almost….kind of shaped like a pumpkin…and you have to pass it around. I was intrigued to say the least. It had a very putrid stench and was milky green in color but hey its South Africa, you have to give it a shot! It wasn’t as bad as it looked and smelled but was not something I would be enjoying the rest of the night either! All in all Marco’s was amazing food and a great overall experience. They had band playing as well which I thought was really good that along with the bands from the Assembly really made me want to listen to African music even more! Officially, if I join an African band I get to play the cow bell! That is another thing; the bands are quite large and have crazy instruments! I love it!

After Marco’s we all decided to head out for a night on Long Street! All in all it was a very interesting time! I had an amazing time, however the racial issues in this town/country still blow my mind! I felt quite safe the entire night even though we had one cell phone stolen, and almost another phone and a camera! That can happen anywhere but I feel like I need to be more aware here!

I keep finding myself picking up an accent as well! It’s not that I try to, most of the time, but it just makes me laugh! I’m sure I sound like a total fool but hey its all in fun!

Cheers